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Monday, January 23, 2017

Quote of the Week - Plato

Leaders shouldn't be afraid of the light, in fact they should welcome it. A moral person is someone who does what's right, regardless of who is watching. Great leaders do what's right for the team regardless of who is watching. If you are doing things that you don't want published in a newspaper, or you wouldn't want your team to learn of, then you aren't doing the right things.

Leadership is often espoused as a moral thing, but what I've learned over time and through study is that leadership isn't solely the purview of good people. Good or bad, leadership skills don't make the distinction. Instead it is up to the person to use their skills for good or ill.

The good news is that today if the skills are used for ill, then most times that ill will be exposed and the person will pay the price. However that isn't always the case (I almost feel like I should be quoting Uncle Ben from Spiderman).

So, if you want to be a strong, moral leader don't fear the light. Welcome it and work with your team to grow more moral leaders.

For my readers who don't know Plato was a great Greek Philosopher and founder of the first institution of higher learning in the Western World. He was taught by Socrates and was the teacher of Aristotle. The fact that his body of work survived intact for 2400 years is remarkable. Definitely worth the time to study.